Jim McSweeney is a certified arborist, certified horticulturist, licensed pesticide applicator and professional landscape designer with over 15 years experience.
Here you will find timely gardening tips, from a pro in the field, that can be easily used by both avid and novice gardeners. The tips will attempt to be clear, concise and usable without a lot of "fluff". He lives and works in Zone 5 (Western Massachusetts), many of the horticultural principles covered are useful in any climate.

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

I am thinking of doing a workshop for the first time called Practical Permaculture. "Practical" might be the key word in the title. As the workshop will be based off of 2 decades of reading and observing others techniques in 20 plus developing countries. But most importantly, in running a micro farm here in Chesterfield, the foothills of the Berkshires, for almost 20 years. This workshop will be a 1/2 day and will likely take place this summer. Cost will be $15 per person. I will focus on:
animal husbandry, sustainable fruits, vegetable & herbs, preserving the harvest, road kill (fun for the whole family!), harnessing solar power and a few other relevant topics.
Soon I will develop an outline, date & time, etc..
If possibly interested let me know as I will limit the workshop to 25.
Revolution begins with the fork!

I will be running a new workshop on tree care basics. I will demonstrate arboricultural basics based on almost two decades of working with trees & shrubs. Separating the fluff from the facts, I will cover site evaluation, plant selection, planting techniques, watering, mulching, pruning, natural pest control and more. This workshop will take place at my home/office where I have dozens of edible and ornamental trees that have been planted in the last ten years. All participants will receive a copy of the guide "Tree Owner's Manual" by the USDA, which covers all the topics we will talk about and more.

For more information visit the New England Wildflower Society website.

About Me

Jim McSweeney is seen as an industry leader in the horticultural field in Western Mass. He is a certified arborist & horticulturist with over 15 years experience in the landscape. Currently he is on the faculty of New England Wildflower Society where he lectures on a diverse range of horticultural topics.